Long Way From Home
by The Mosh Pit
Summary: The Dragonborn arrives on Solstheim, seeking answers and a hired blade. Teldryn Sero fits the bill nicely. Update: Change in rating due to sexual scenario.
1. Chapters 1 & 2: Beginnings

"The Retching Netch."

The bulky looking guard folded his arms as best he could, considering his heavy bonemold armour. Although his face wasn't visible through his oddly shaped helmet, I could feel his suspicious stare slowly scanning my clothing and luggage; it seemed to pause on the sheathed sword resting on my hip. "It's the only place you'll be able to stay around here, outlander." His tone was anything but welcoming.

"Thankyou," I mumbled, keeping my head down and furtively slinking past him toward the door of the cornerclub. His glare followed me all the way to the wooden doors.

I don't know why I had kept my head lowered; despite the fact that my face was completely obscured by a black hood and mask, I did not care if I was drawing undue attention right now. I was exhausted, wracked with pain; My skin burned, and yet I was shivering uncontrollably. My only desire was to rest, alone, in a quiet room and obtain an alcoholic drink.  
My limbs ached and groaned; the early stages of rockjoint were beginning to take hold, and I walked languidly, dragging my feet while being acutely aware of the rattling breaths I was drawing each time I inhaled. The numerous bruises and minor lacerations which covered my body stung and grated against the lining of my armour, exacerbated by the salty sweat clinging to my unwashed skin. As comfortable as this Nightingale armour was, there was no covering that could soothe the pain of my wounds at this moment.  
I paused before pushing open the doors of the Retching Netch, catching my breath; my left hand instinctively went to nurse the pain in my ribs, the right one searching for the comfort of Dawnbreaker by my side before quickly squeezing my satchel to confirm that I did indeed still have the potions with me that I was relying upon to improve my miserable lot: A cure for disease, and a health potion. I momentarily marvelled at my stupidity for not having consumed them earlier as I pushed open the doors, the stark white of my fingers glaringly contrasting with everything else in my field of vision.

My ears were flooded with the gentle and pleasant noise of soft instrumental music as I walked inside; the heat of the place unpleasantly soaked into me as my eyes adjusted to the dim, orange light of a nearby fireplace. The air smelled of cooking and bore a faint odour of alcohol. Ambient chatter from numerous Dunmer patrons was a welcome sound; if they were busy talking among themselves, they were too busy to pay much attention to my sickly gait, blood-stained armour, and foreign-ness.  
I quickly looked around me to try to discern where I needed to go to procure a room and drink as quickly as possible. Many dunmer in the place had their mouths and noses covered with cloth masks, a necessity, I assumed, given their home city was a vast blanket of ash, and that the very air they breathed was thick with airborne particles. Their red eyes seemed to glow in the light of the fireplace as they nursed mugs of drink, masks still on. Sometimes they would pull the mask down with two fingers, drink, and then carefully replace it before returning to their conversations. These glimpses of their elven, tired looking faces mas momentarily interesting to me. Wrinkles, grey skin, only occasional smiles; Hardened. Dark Elves.

I thought I could see a bar down a wide flight of stairs that began not far from the door I had entered, and led to a second, lower level where other dunmer were drinking more vigorously, and the conversation was a little louder. I shouldered my satchel and slowly walked down the stairs, eyes focused on the bar and a wooden chair positioned in front of it. A barman with an elven ponytail positioned high on his head, and a slightly squinted pair of blood-red eyes was leaning on the bartop, speaking to a slightly drunken dunmer about something I didn't care about. I headed straight for him, albeit slowly.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed a strange figure sitting in a chair by a small wooden table, shadowed by a pillar. His arms were folded, and his bizarre chitin helmet, which matched his armour, had two round and reflective eyepieces which caught some light as his head turned to watch me pass. He looked to me in his armour like an insect or some sort of crustacean.  
I ignored him and sat heavily down on the bar stool, immediately dropping my bag next to me with a thud and slumping, elbows on the bar. Although my face was obscured, I raised it toward the barman, getting his attention.  
He stopped his conversation with the drunken man and turned his head toward me. I saw a brief furrow in his brow as his eyes quickly looked me up and down, taking my measure. His gaze rested on my exposed fingers, which I promptly curled up and put into the crooks of my elbows, shivering. My jaw clenched as a strong ache rippled through my body. A wide and very fake smile split the barman's face and he brightly looked at me in what he assumed was where my eyes were. "welcome to the Retching Netch corner club, Milady! Home to the finest sujamma to ever grace your lips." He began wiping the bar top with a cloth as he spoke. Can I interest you, stranger?"  
"Yes," I croaked, my own voice sounding weird and pathetic to me before I tried to clear my throat as quietly as I could, loudly growling into the palm of my hand before speaking again. "But first I want to rent a room." I bent sideways at the waist and reached into my satchel, fumbling blindly for my coin purse before finding it and grasping a large handful of septims.  
I ungracefully put it on the bar in front of me, not knowing how much was there, but knowing it would be enough to secure my stay in a place of this calibre. I slumped on the bar again and coughed.  
The man looked at the coin and raised his already high elven eyebrows. "Certainly. For how long, sera?"  
"Just tonight for now."  
He nodded slightly and smiled, scooping the coin from the bar top and putting it away somewhere under the bar and out of sight. "Your room is just down there," he pointed down a short hallway. "On the left." I nodded weakly.  
"Now," he said, Proudly presenting an earthenware jar and confidently placing it on the bar in front of me, "Let this soothe those aching bones and troubled soul." He grinned widely. "Finest in all Morrowind."  
I grasped the neck of the jar and unstopped the cork. My hand trembled as I raised it up and pulled down the mask from my face, just to expose my mouth. I turned my face from him to obscure his view, as I let the drink wash over my cracked lips and gingerly began to gulp down the room temperature liquid. It was sweet, and strong. Very strong.  
The barman continued absently wiping the bar as he continued to talk, despite the fact that I was clearly not invested in the conversation. "I've been working on that recipe for years. I'd say I've got it just about perfect, don't you think?'  
I didn't answer. He may have been well intentioned, but his conversation was only an irritation to me.  
"So, what brings you to Solstheim?" he asked.  
"Business," I said flatly. A silence passed between us. I could feel the crustacean man in the corner watching us. I focused on mustering my strength to walk myself to my room.  
"Ah. I don't hear that one too often. Not much going on around here in terms of business lately.' His voice lost a little enthusiasm.  
I stood up and reached down for my bag, and grabbed the bottle of sujamma by its neck. I raised it slightly to him.  
"I'll take some for the room." Dawnbreaker, my favoured sword, bumped against the chair in its scabbard, loosening it a little so that a bright glow could be seen beneath the black cape that was attached to my armour. I didn't care.  
"Right away." He stopped wiping and reached under the bar to grab two more jugs. "My name is Geldis Sadri, Sera. If you need anything else, you can find me right here." He put the jugs on the bar. "Is there anything else?'  
I was tired; sick. I wavered on my feet. Some of it was the illness, some of it was the heat; some of it was the sujamma. I paused for a moment and thought.  
"Hired help," I blurted out as I stood there, aching and swaying slightly. Geldis squinted at me slightly. "What kind, milady?"  
"Don't call me that." I was not trying to be rude, but I had no energy for enduring such a stupid term of address. "A hired sword. Mercenary."  
Geldis frowned slightly at my curt manner, then returned to his usual polite smile. "I can certainly point you in the right direction," he said cheerfully.  
'Good,' I said, cutting him off and turning to walk toward my room. I saw him shut his open mouth as he decided to stop talking. "I'll discuss the details with you tomorrow. In... In the morning." A rush of ache, hunger and mild nausea swept through me as I gave him a dismissive wave and began slowly walking toward my room, dragging my feet. I brushed past the armoured crab man as I did so, and he turned his head to watch me pass. He remained silent as I staggered by.

I stumbled trough the door to the modest room and clumsily shut the door behind me, tossing the bag onto the rickety wooden bed as I did so. I at least had the presence of mind to carefully set down the sujamma before immediately collapsing onto the floor, tugging at my hood and mask to remove it.  
I felt the air touch my skin as soon as the hood came off, and it was too hot. Long black hair messily cascaded down my back, shoulders and the front of my face, sticking to my sore, chapped lips and to the film of sweat and filth which covered every inch of me. I tried to spit it out as I gritted my teeth again, breathing heavily and just sitting there on the floor, simply wallowing in this god-awful sensation of overwhelming heat and pain. Oh, woe is me.  
Time to take my medicine.  
I crawled across the floor to the bed and climbed up on it, grabbing the bag and feverishly rummaging through it for the potions I needed. One by one, I uncorked them and poured them down my neck with an enthusiasm that was incompatible with my current state of lethargy. One, two, three, four concoctions; and then the large red bottle that I needed most.  
I gasped with relief and sluggishly wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, quietly panting. A healing spell was needed. I quickly stripped off the rest of my armour and sat on the edge of the hard bed in my small undergarments.

Slowly, I felt the subtle, blissful rush of blood through my chest that heralded the healing of my body; I closed my eyes and sighed as it rippled through me, and I held my hands out still over my thighs, my palms slowly beginning to glow goldenly with the benevolent magic I knew so well. An artificial sense of harmony and peace temporarily flooded my senses as I felt my lacerations meld closed and my bruises subside from their swelling; The angry blue and purple lumps on my back, shoulders and legs melted away, leaving only the stark, smooth whiteness of my now healed flesh. The bliss slowly faded away and I collapsed backwards onto the bed, whole and satisfied. It was then that I noticed that there was a roaring fireplace in my room.  
Atmospheric for others maybe, but for a poorly acclimatised snow elf, it was subtle torture.  
I growled to myself and grabbed the sujamma. May as well bathe then; no sleep for me tonight.

CHAPTER 2

I sat in my chair with my arms folded as I chatted idly with Geldis. It was always quiet at the retching netch at this time in the morning; everybody was either sleeping off hangovers or had already set about their daily business elsewhere. The smell of smoke from the waning fire nearby filled the large room; the sounds of footsteps and sweeping echoed quietly throughout the place as the staff went about their tidying duties.  
"Quite unusual," said Geldis, raising one eyebrow as he spoke. "In that state and wearing armour like that. And not dunmer, I'd bet. My guess is a fugitive."  
"Possibly." I paused for a moment. "Although it's entirely normal for people to keep their faces covered around here." I smiled at him beneath my chitin helmet.  
"True," he chirped, giving a slight nod. "Certainly preferable to ash lung." His smile broadened as he looked at me. "Or notoriety." I scoffed, arms still folded across my chest.  
I had seen the woman in question stagger into the corner club late last night. Although she was entirely covered from head to toe in a form-fitting and admittedly impressive light armour set, it was clear from her shape that she was female; of average height and quite thin. her only exposure was her fingers, which were long, thin and stained with blood and dirt. Despite this I noticed that they were unusually pale; Although I had tried to determine her race based on their colour, I couldn't be certain.  
I had watched her sit heavily down on the stool at the bar, cough, and produce a fair amount of coin for Geldis, croaking that she wanted a room. It was clear that she was in exceedingly poor physical condition. She was barely able to maintain her posture as she slumped on the bar, resting on her forearms. Her voice was quiet and smooth, although wracked with congestion.  
Within a short time, she had picked up her baggage and shuffled off to her room, shivering and carrying a bottle of sujamma with her. She had briefly paused to turn and ask Geldis about procuring a hired sword, in a somewhat impolite manner. Before Geldis could introduce her to me, she had dismissed him with a languid wave of her hand and gone to her rented room, saying that she would speak with him about the details in the morning. Geldis had dutifully approached me shortly afterward to inform me of the potential patronage, although I was already aware. He was useful like that. He'd get his commission soon enough if things worked out.  
"Anything for your appetite before I get busy?"  
"Not right now." I'd eaten before I'd emerged from my room down the hall. Bites of bread and swigs of ale in between cleaning and polishing swords and armour was enough for me. I'd never become accustomed to sitting down and eating properly. Mercenary work rarely made allowances for such niceties, and the need for constant vigilance made it a nuisance.  
Geldis nodded and stood up to return to the bar. He quickly turned his head as he heard a door open. He beamed an artificial smile.  
"Good morning, sera! I trust you slept well?"  
The bedraggled woman we had seen last night was striding silently toward the bar, still completely swathed in the intricate black armour. "Well enough, Geldis." I could hear a polite smile in her voice as it chimed through the air. She slid into the chair opposite my own across the small wooden table. A vague scent of fragranced oil and stale blood washed past me in her wake. She folded her white hands neatly on top of one another in her lap and pointed her obscured face in the direction of Geldis. I noticed a thin strip of dried blood underneath her otherwise clean nails; Her armour was still slightly stained with gore. Interesting.  
The difference between this person and the one I had seen limping through the Retching Netch last night was vast. Whatever she had done to herself last night in her room had washed away any sign of illness or infirmity and apparently entirely restored her to a state of steadiness and health; quite curious. Possibly a magic user?  
"Very good." More smiling from Geldis. I briefly wondered if his face ever ached from it all. "Can I get you anything for your hunger?'  
"No, Thankyou," she said, face still pointed toward him. She had yet to acknowledge my presence in any way.  
"I wanted to follow on from our brief discussion last night."  
"Ah, yes. If you could call it that," Geldis said with a smirk. The woman remained silent. Geldis cleared his throat. "You were looking to hire a blade, sera?'  
She rested a hand on the table next to me, relaxing a little. "Yes," she said smoothly. "For a possibly extended time period." Her fingers gently rapped on the wooden surface.  
"Well," Geldis began, "there's someone here who can answer any questions you have." He nodded toward me.  
The woman turned her head and stared directly at me, remaining silent. I smiled beneath my helmet and leaned back in my chair.  
"Teldryn Sero, blade for hire." She cocked her head slightly as she observed me. "The best swordsman in all Morrowind is at your service... for the right price."  
"That's quite a claim," she said, her voice lilting gently. Her fingers became still and rested on the table. "How familiar are you with..." she paused for a moment, as if she had forgotten where she was. "...Solstheim? The geography and settlements."  
"Oh, very," I said nonchalantly. "I've called Solstheim my home for a number of years. I've been from one end to the other many times in various capacities." I Smiled, and I'm sure she could hear it in my voice. Guarded tours were easy money. She nodded very slightly.  
"I'm looking to retain your kind of services for some time until my business is finished here," she explained. "It will not be easy work." I felt her stare penetrate me intently as she tried to gauge my response.  
I Lifted my head and stared right back at her. "Mercenaries never undertake easy work," I stated flatly. "But I think you'll find that my experience in my field will certainly make your... business somewhat less difficult."  
She leaned backward. "What is your price?," she asked quietly.  
"Five hundred septims as an initial retainer." I paused. "Further payment can be discussed later as is necessary."  
She nodded. "Consider yourself hired." She stood up and looked at me.  
I slowly rose from my chair and straightened myself up. I was easily a good head and shoulders taller than her, and I looked down at her upturned mask as I spoke, towering over her. I extended my armoured hand slowly forward. "Very good,sera. I await your instruction. And my payment."  
She stared at the hand, then back at my helmet. Her arms stayed at her sides.  
'I'll meet you in my room in two hours. Make sure you've packed everything you need for a long trip." She bent to pick up the bag she had brought with her and walked over to the bar.  
"Geldis, I'll need a couple more nights. I might not use them in the next few days," she said nonchalantly, "but I'll want that room when I return." She put a bag of coin onto the bar with a pleasant chink. "And I am expecting a courier to arrive here to deliver some things of mine within the next couple of hours; please put them in my room."


	2. Chapter 3: The Deal

CHAPTER 3

The room was still far too hot. It was causing me to become irritable as well as anxious.

I paced the floor of the rented room restlessly, my mind racing from one concern to the next, as I tried to think of explanations for the delay of my delivery. It was supposed to have been here an hour ago. Where was he?

As my mind began to drift into the realm of unreasonable conclusions, I heard a rapid knocking on the wooden door. I felt a sudden rush of excitement flourish in my chest as I rushed to answer it, roughly kicking a rickety wooden chair out of my way while leaping for the handle and yanking it open.

'Marcurio!'

I felt a wave of relief and smiled beneath my hood as I saw his familiar form standing in the doorway. My eyes desperately searched his hands as he stood there, arms folded and eyebrow raised, staring at me with an unimpressed expression plastered onto his face. 'Did you bring everything?'  
He snorted. 'Oh, hello, Nysteris! Why, yes, I did have a safe journey. To Morrowind.' He emphasised the last word, his voice dripping with sarcasm. 'All the way from Falkreath.' He paused for dramatic effect. 'In Skyrim.'

'Of course you did,' I blurted urgently, still looking for his luggage as I grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him inside. 'You're an apprentice wizard.' I firmly took him by the shoulders and turned him around, pulling down the heavy straps of his pack from his shoulders and easing it onto the ground.  
'Yes,' he said, a droll tone in his voice as he stood still, facing the wall. 'Not a pack mule.' He turned around to look at me as I crouched on the ground in front of him, rummaging through the heavy bag. I audibly sighed with relief as I wrapped my fingers around the red bottle inside.  
'Thank you,' I murmured, pulling the cork from the bottle and ungracefully yanking the hood and mask from my head. He sat down in the unstable chair and leaned back into it, eyeing me suspiciously and frowning as he watched me noisily swallow the contents of the container. I gasped as I removed my lips from it, and slobbishly wiped my mouth on my sleeve.  
A silence passed between us; I looked up at him from my position on the floor next to the bag. His hazel eyes stared directly into mine and he exhaled loudly, softly shaking his head. His lips pursed slightly, making his goatee look shorter for a moment.

'What are you doing out here, Nysteris?'

His tone was quiet; imploring.

I broke eye contact and stood up from the floor, carefully putting the empty glass bottle on the dresser next to me. His gentle tone caused a flush of what almost felt like shame to blossom in my chest; I turned away from him as I spoke.  
'Business.' My voice was firmer than I had intended it to be.  
Marcurio sighed loudly. 'Should I even ask?' His voice became a little firmer. "I haven't seen you in months. No word, not even a letter. Not until I recieved a scrap of paper from a tired courier, telling me to bring... all of this,' I heard his robes rustle as he gestured to the bag, 'To Solstheim docks, of all places. I had to ask the guards to find where you were staying.'  
I spun around and stared at him. 'The guards knew me?'  
'No,' he said, 'They didn't know who you were. Relax. They just pointed me in the direction of the only hired accommodation in this ash-covered pit.'  
More silence passed as I sat down on the bed, my elbows resting on my knees.  
'You're still using these, I see,' he said flatly, waving a hand at the empty bottle sitting on the dresser. 'I thought you'd have taken care of that by now.'  
I suppressed a momentary flare of annoyance as I calmly answered him. 'Now isn't the time.' I motioned to the bag. 'How many more in there?'  
'Eight more.' I nodded. I allowed my hair to fall forward and shield my face from his gaze.  
'Why didn't you bring me with you?'  
The question caught me completely off guard. I flushed a little and looked down. I hated these needy moments from him; So far from the confident and cocky mage I had hired in Riften to watch my back.  
I briefly considered telling him that; That the reason for my departure from his company while I was on the road was because of interludes like this one. Instead, I quietly took a deep breath and spoke to him in a formal tone.  
'Lakeview Manor needs to be taken care of. That is your role as my steward.'  
'Hmph.' His feet shuffled under his seat. 'Not as exciting as what I used to do.' I heard a smile in his tone; He was trying to lighten the mood.

Relieved, I turned my head toward him and smiled. 'You never liked the travelling or caves.'

'It rubs off on you after a while. And we both know that you would have been lost without me.'

I nodded, my grin widening. 'Possibly.'

Another knock came from the wooden door; louder and slower.

I gasped and dived for my hood, clumsily yanking it over my head as I stood up and went to answer. Marcurio's smile dropped as I opened the door, Revealing Teldryn Sero, the mercenary I had hired this morning.

Although he was covered in chitin armour from the tips of his toes to the top of his head, I could feel him slowly surveying the room with his eyes. His face pointed toward Marcurio.

'Shall I return later?' His deep, relaxed voice rasped slightly as he spoke. Marcurio stood up from his chair.

'No. This way.' I extended an arm toward the bed, where the heavy bag of items was. Teldryn sauntered by Marcurio's confused and wary gaze.  
'Marcurio, this is Teldryn. The mercenary.'  
Marcurio's mouth opened in indignation and his brow furrowed angrily, but no words came from him; He promptly closed it again and straightened himself up.  
Before he could speak, I grabbed a full quiver of arrows and thrust them toward him. 'Is this all you could get?'  
'Yes.' His tone had become firmer and more relaxed. He seemed to be trying to ignore Teldryn's presence. 'Serana seemed to be annoyed with me by the time she'd finished making that many.'

I admired them quietly. 'And the sun hallowed?'

'Only what you see there,' He said bluntly. 'I'm not going to go all the way to find Gelebor to get more.' He folded his arms across his chest.

'Understandable,' I conceded. It was more than I'd expected. I laid them down on the bed and looked at Marcurio.  
'Thankyou,' I said smoothly. His eyes were searching my mask for some kind of indication that I was truly grateful. 'Do you have enough coin at the manor?'  
'Plenty. I don't need anything.'  
I nodded. 'Then farewell.'

I slowly and deliberately turned my back on him and busied myself with removing the weapons, armour and potions from the bag. Teldryn leaned with his back against the wall, arms crossed and staring at Marcurio; It was not long before I heard the door shut quietly behind me as Marcurio made his exit.  
'I don't think he was expecting me.' Teldryn's voice bore a slight hint of sarcasm and dry humour.  
I remained silent; unsure of how to respond.

I dug through my bag and produced a large sack of septims, extending it toward Teldryn. I nodded at him to take it, and he politely accepted, cupping it from below and then turning to put it into a pouch on his side.

I watched him warily; It wasn't until now that I realised that he intimidated me a little. Perhaps it was the strange armour. Maybe it was the lack of familiarity. Either way, I tried to push it to the back of my mind.

'There's quite a bit more than five hundred septims there,' he said, leaning forward from the wall and standing in front of me. He waited for my response.

'Yes,' I said. I tried to hide my nervousness behind a cool facade. 'I prefer to pay in advance.'

"You'll get no complaints from me,' He said brightly, a smirk in his tone. "You needn't worry. I'm worth every coin.'  
An arrogant smartass. I found myself surprisingly satisfied with that somehow. I scoffed.  
'Come here,' I ordered. 'I need to take your inventory. Some of this gear might be better than what you're using now.'  
'Then I'm happy to carry it with us,' he said quickly and firmly. 'I perform best with the weapons I'm most familiar with.' I got the message. He wanted to keep his armour and weapons to use. Not mine. I was a little lost for words and stared at him awkwardly, suddenly grateful for the presence of my hood.

'Now,' he said in a friendly tone, 'Why don't we discuss our plan?' 


	3. Chapter 4: First Sight

CHAPTER 4

'May I?' I gestured toward the wooden chair next to my leg.

My patron stood there and watched me in silence, her body slightly tensed. While she did not seem to be afraid, she certainly seemed wary; although her unusual sword was on her hip, her hand did not hover over it.  
I slowly and deliberately sat down and reached into my satchel for a bottle of sujamma, placing it upon the table in clear view. This was the part of the job where I got measure of my employer. It would be easier for everyone if a bit of informality and relaxation was able to be achieved early on. I reached up to my helmet, working the catches with my fingers to remove it.

The woman slowly walked toward the table and slowly slid into the chair opposite me. She reached up to the shelf next to her from her sitting position and took two mugs, setting them on the table next to the bottle I'd put there. A good start, I supposed; but her silence was still a little uncomfortable.  
I took the sujamma and poured it slowly into the mugs on the table. 'So,' I said casually, 'first things first. How should I address you, Sera?'  
I removed my helmet and put it on the ground next to my bag.  
I smiled at her in the most non-threatening way I could manage and raked my fingers quickly through my black mohawk. Nobody likes helmet hair.  
She remained motionless for a few moments; I could feel her eyes sweeping over my newly revealed face. It is possible that I didn't look as she had expected me to; I had been hired by patrons in the past who were even surprised by the fact that I was Dunmer. Almost as if the chitin armour and the fact that I was on Solstheim weren't good enough indicators.  
In any event, her opinion of my appearance was not relevant to what we were here for. I took a long draught of sujamma from the mug and raised my eyebrows at her from over the top of it as I did so, trying to prompt her to answer my question.

Slowly, her left hand raised toward her face, and she began to remove her hood and mask. She mumbled something through a mouthful of cloth as the mask was halfway off.

'Forgive me,' I said in a low tone, 'I'm afraid I didn't catch that.'  
'Nysteris.' Her voice chimed clearly as she spoke.  
I looked at her face, and I think that I was the one who was more surprised.

Her skin was white. Not pale like a Nord woman, but a pure, uniform, unnatural white. In spite of the fact that dirt was smudged upon it in numerous places, it almost had a translucent and reflective quality.  
Her eyes were startling, and equally strange; They were huge and slanted upward, the very pale blue-green irises taking up almost all of the visible area of them, with only a tiny triangle of sclera showing at each side. The black pupils were small and seemed to almost blend in with the iris; Her eyes were rimmed with what appeared to be a dark blue paint of some sort, which had smudged under them.

Her eyebrows and hair were as black as the rest of her was white; The tangled mess framed her face in a way that made her seem almost derelict. Her nose was curved and pointed and her lips and mouth quite small, posed in a serious neutral frown, and smudged with the same dark blue paint that was under her eyes.

But the thing that drew my attention more than her slightly strange face was the pair of long, pointed, white ears poking out from beneath the mane of almost waist length black hair. They curved upward in a way that I had not seen before.

Although she was obviously Mer, I could not for the life of me begin to guess at which race she was. The closest I managed to conclude was an Altmer with some kind of unusual difference; although she did not seem tall enough.

Her eyes pierced me as she watched for my reaction. It was obviously something she had become accustomed to dealing with; I tried not to be obvious about my surprise as she picked up the mug of sujamma and drank from it slowly, not breaking eye contact.

"Nysteris,' I said aloud, quietly hoping that I had heard it right. 'Is that an... Altmer name?'  
I was shamelessly fishing for a clue now, and I am certain that she knew it. Curiosity often got the better of me in life, and right now was no exception.  
She cast her eyes down to her fingers, pinching them together and absently picking the dried blood out from underneath her nails. 'No,' she said quietly. She was clearly not interested in pursuing the line of conversation any further.  
I stretched my legs out, resting my foot on my knee and lifting the mug of drink toward me. 'Ah. I've never been very familiar with Altmer names. Quite a mouthful.'

I paused and observed her from my chair as she downed the rest of her drink. A very strange appearance all together, but not entirely unattractive.  
'So where should we start?' I said in a low, long tone.

She leaned forward onto her elbows and stared me in the eye. I stared right back at her; surprisingly, she broke away.

"There have been numerous attempts on my life,' she expained calmly. I nodded. I'd certainly heard this story from previous patrons.  
'The written orders I found on one of the bodies led me to believe that the source is here in Solstheim.'

'Bodies?' I raised my eyebrows. 'You've taken care of some of this on your own then.'  
'Out of necessity, yes,' she said curtly. 'I have many things to do in many places; I came here when the attempts became too frequent to ignore any longer.'

I admit that I was a little surprised; Although Nysteris was clearly a focused and apparently capable woman, she looked fragile to me. She was lightly built, which is normal for a Mer, and was not especially tall. More curiosities to ponder.

"You wouldn't be lucky enough to have a name for your contractor, would you?' My tone was dry. Nobody ever knew the name of their would-be killers; the wild goose chase of trying to locate the source of the attempts inevitably ended up taking a long time.

'Miraak.' She looked at me with a slight questioning, trying to feel whether I recognised the name.

'Miraak,' I repeated as I slowly drawled out the word. 'Doesn't sound familiar to me. I could certainly help you look for leads.'

'Good,' she said, standing up and pulling her hood back on. 'Then let's go.' 


	4. Chapter 5: Confrontation

CHAPTER 5 'Miraak. Miiiiraaaak,' Teldryn murmured slowly as he walked alongside me, deep in thought, the lenses of his helmet catching a glint of late afternoon sun. 'What a curious man he must be. It seems as if nearly everybody... almost knows him.'

I remained quiet and stared ahead, squinting through my hood at the vast expanse of fallen ash and charred trees that stretched out into the horizon of Solstheim before us.  
The sun was beginning to sink in the sky; A cold breeze was beginning to bolden as it washed over me and brought with it the faint smell of sulfur. My cape billowed slightly as I trudged through the thick blanket of ash, my boots sinking a little deeper into it with every few dozen steps.  
Everything in my field of vision was a shade of brown, grey or rust. The orange sunset was deepening in colour; a blurred orb disappearing behind the ash-covered hills, obscured by the thick and hazy atmosphere. I gazed into it, the monotony of our trek lulling me into a state of mild entrancement.  
'And he has a temple, apparently.' Teldryn's intermittent but constant commentary was a pleasant sound, despite its subject matter. He wasn't saying anything much that required me to respond, and so I was content to listen.  
'You must have done something impressive to have captured his attention.'  
'I wish I knew what it was,' I said dryly. 'None of this is making sense yet.'

I thought again of the numerous dunmer we had seen today who had been gathered around the monument that Teldryn had called the Earth Stone. The expression in their eyes was vacant, and tortured; as they swung their tools they had uttered the most ominous words:

"Here in his shrine, that they have forgotten... Here do we toil, that we might remember."

Teldryn's voice roused me from my far away thoughts.  
'I doubt if we'll make it to the temple any time soon.' He stopped walking and looked up at the sky. 'We haven't much light left in any case. Here is as good a place as any to rest for the night.'  
'Alright,' I said quietly.  
Something had caught my attention; For a moment I thought I had glimpsed the briefest of shadows quickly scoot from the corner of my field of vision, disappearing behind the trunk of a charred tree. I abruptly stopped walking and quickly dropped into a slightly crouched stance, my left hand immediately flying to grasp the hilt of Dawnbreaker. My eyes darted quickly around me, scanning left and right, and then focusing on the burnt tree trunk where the flicker of movement had been.  
I heard the singing of metal against metal as Teldryn immediately drew his sword with his right hand, his left instantly rising up and beginning to glow dimly with a magical light. He must have seen it too; his reaction had been as instantaneous as my own.  
He shot me a rapid glance through his mask before advancing forward, quickly placing one foot in front of the other with surprising agility and grace as he approached the area next to the burned tree.  
I felt a pulse of adrenaline and fear ripple quickly through me as the soft, cold wind caressed my ears, and I strained to listen for any sounds.

It was then that a piercing whistle broke the silence, and a deep thud shook through me as an arrow embedded itself in my upper back.

A cry rang out from my lips, not of pain so much as shock and anger; I fell to my hands and knees, Dawnbreaker hissing as I wrenched it from its scabbard. As I sprung back onto my feet, I saw Teldryn racing toward me, his left hand thrust forward as the glow from it intensified and a dark blue tear in the air itself materialised before him. Moments later, a flame atronach rapidly emerged from the swirling light and immediately raced after Teldryn, its arm raised high above its flaming horns, leaving a thin trail of fire in its wake.  
'Get down!' he snapped.  
Another arrow hissed through the air and embedded itself into the ash next to my feet as I quickly jumped aside and glared angrily at the crest of the nearest hill, feeling the coldness and pressure build up in my right hand from the spell I was summoning.  
There it was; a figure crouching behind a burnt stump, bow drawn and pointed directly at my chest. The chitin armour he wore made his silhouette jagged and hard to define for a moment. I drew back my right hand and gritted my teeth, my face bearing a vicious snarl beneath my mask as I surged forward and threw the Icy Spear at the archer with all of my force and anger.  
The figure swiftly hid itself behind the nearest tree as the icy spear hit the ground where he had been and shattered loudly. I put all of my effort into covering the distance between myself and my assailant, striving to reach him before he had the time to nock another arrow.  
I roared angrily and brought my blade down with full force upon the crouching figure as he fumbled for his sidearm; a shower of ash spat up from the ground as he deftly leaped clear of my sword and it buried itself into the ground where he had been a split second before.  
I heard a schick as he drew an elven dagger from his armour and a swoosh as he swung it hard at my neck; A loud clang rang out as I blocked the blow with Dawnbreaker, the attacker grunting from the effort of his swing.  
Before he could recover, I instantly leapt to the side and brought my blade sweeping into his left flank between the plates of his chitin armour. He roared in pain and outrage as I wrenched it free, blood spilling from the gaping wound as I stepped around him and grabbed his head from behind with my right hand, drawing Dawnbreaker back as far as I could with my left.

'No...' He choked, blood gushing onto the ash in rhythmic spurts from the deep cut. His voice was heavy with shock and disbelief; His arms flailed as I pushed down on his helmet and forced him onto his knees. 'I yield...'  
I snarled and felt the potent rush of bloodlust and power course through me as I drove Dawnbreaker straight through his back, its point erupting from his chest, stained dark red with the rich blood from deep within his heart. I exhaled through clenched teeth as his body stiffened, tortured gargles and chokes erupting from deep within his throat.  
I sneered as I put my foot on his back, loving the sound of my blade singing as I brutally pulled it free from his armoured body. It slumped ungracefully onto the ground at my feet.  
'Useless,' I hissed quietly to myself as I stared at the bleeding corpse. I could hear my own blood rushing through my head as my eyes fixed onto the small spurts still pulsing from his side. I slowly inhaled as I felt a powerful need slowly begin to rise from deep within me.

In one smooth movement, I pulled my mask aside and bent down, my mouth latching onto the bleeding wound, my tongue forcing itself inside the cut, stroking the smooth edges and scooping the hot, salty blood from within.  
I swallowed deeply as the pulses became weaker, the blood slowly ceasing to yield to me as I began to come down from my intoxication. Whatever was left of him could be left to the mudcrabs and sandhoppers; He was nothing now.  
I slowly stood up and wiped my mouth, breathing deeply, while staring down at the body before me.

My bloodlust began to subside, and the familiar feeling of shame and revulsion slowly began to replace it, as always.

I reached up and over my shoulder, grippig the arrow that was embedded there and grimacing as I pulled it from my flesh in one quick and rapid movement. After looking at it to ensure that the arrowhead was still attached, I absently cast it aside.

'Nysteris!'

I heard Teldryn's deep bark before I saw him as I turned, watching him run up the ash hill, sword sheathed and a flame atronach floating obediently behind him. His chitin armour was smeared with blood, but he seemed fine; Clearly the blood belonged to someone else. I quickly pulled my mask back up over my wouth as I waited for him to reach me.  
'Turn around,' he demanded, panting slowly, putting his hands on my shoulders and turning them away from him. I felt him run his fingers over the arrow wound; 'You'll be alright.'  
Although the wound from the arrow was painful, I was surprised and embarrassed to find that a hot flush rushed to my cheeks at his physical touch. I stood still, facing away from him, soaking in my awkwardness.  
He slowly walked around to my front, staring down at the body of my attacker as it lay crumpled upon the ash. He crouched on one knee and reached out for something.  
'Here,' He said dryly, 'I think you might have dropped this.' He grabbed Dawnbreaker by the blade with his gloved hand and pointed the hilt toward me. He tutted and shook his head as I grasped it.  
'You should really take better care of a fine sword like that.' His hands travelled up to his helmet to lift it from his head as the flame atronach crumbled ungracefully behind him.  
Upon seeing his face again, my breath caught in my chest for a moment; His black mohawk remained still in the gentle night time breeze, and his blood-red eyes narrowed as he looked down at the dead man, his helmet resting under his arm.  
The dark tattoos displayed upon his face arched gently up and over his high brows and trailed to a blue patch on his lower lip, which I was having difficulty drawing my gaze from; his strong jaw was covered with rugged, short hair. His grey skin contrasted startlingly with the red of his eyes; I felt another blush and a slight nervousness as he turned his face to look at me. 'These are Morag Tong,' He said in a serious tone, His eyes widening as he spoke. He handed me a folded piece of paper. 'I believe that this was meant for you.'  
I gently took it from him and frowned as I unfolded it.

Honourable Writ of Execution: Nysteris (further name unknown)

The aforementioned personage has been marked for execution as a member of an unlawful guild of assassins in accordance with the lawful tradition and practice of the Morag Tong Guild.  
The bearer of this non-disputable document has official sanctioned license to kill the aforementioned personage.

I stared at it for a moment, trying to process the information, when I realised that it had just divulged a substantial amount of information to Teldryn that I had intended to keep to myself.

'I'm not going to ask any questions about that,' said Teldryn politely, leaning to the right as he transferred his weight. He gave a small smile. 'But I would like to have a chat with you over a fire and some drink within the next hour.'

I looked up at his face; he was even more handsome when his armour was covered in blood. I wondered momentarily whether the rush of battle had promoted a temporary rush of excitable hormones as well.

I smiled and relaxed a little. 'I hope you've got sujamma.' 


	5. Chapter 6: Sujamma

CHAPTER 6

'Now Blacklight... That's a proper city.' I smiled as I bit into a green apple and stared into the dancing flames of the campfire that blazed between us.

Nysteris had removed her hood and was sitting across from me on her bed roll with her legs crossed, nursing a bottle of sujamma and watching my face as I spoke. The firelight reflected and danced in her wide eyes and cast a glow on her stark white face.  
She was very still and quiet, as always; although I was pleased to notice that as the time had passed and the alcohol flowed, she was becoming slowly more vocal, curious and interactive. For the first time I was starting to coax her into discussing something other than business, although the many questions about the Morag Tong had taken some time to work through in the beginning as we had set up camp.

'I've never been there,' she confessed, taking another deep draught of drink. 'Is it where you grew up?'  
'Almost. I was from a town not far away.' I looked up at her, uncorking another jar of drink. 'My mother often took me there when she visited the great library, and I inflicted myself upon the unwary populace on a regular basis.' I quickly raised my eyebrows at her and lowered them again as I took a long swig from the bottle.

She looked me in the eye, her long black hair partially obscuring her face, and for the first time since I had met her, I saw a smile spread across her lips. It pleased me more than I thought it would have. She was beginning to relax.  
Although I was trying to gently tease some basic information out of her to help her open up to me more for the sake of an efficient working relationship, an increasing number of things were becoming apparent that had piqued my sense of caution and curiosity.

The weapon she carried at her side was not an ordinary sword; although I had seen many enchanted weapons in my line of work, this one was clearly quite unique and special. The same could be said for the armour she wore. The craftsmanship was unlike anything I had encountered, and I could not place where it may have originated from; though it was possible from the large amount of coin she carried that she had simply purchased the sword and attire from a particularly discerning merchant.  
I had read the writ of execution I'd taken from the body of the Morag Tong assassin earlier. I was aware that Nysteris had been fighting off another agent at the time, and I'd run to find her as soon as I'd finished with my engagement. In many ways it made sense that Nysteris was an assassin; What was more interesting to me was the fact that she had chosen not to disclose that information to me, and that although she was clearly capable of handling herself - moreso than I had initially given her credit for - she had still made the decision to enlist the aid of a mercenary.  
And her appearance...

'I can't imagine you being the terror of your community in your early days,' I said, returning her smile and taking another drink. 'Not especially,' she said as she smiled softly, looking down into the jar in her hands. 'The opportunities for that sort of fun don't present themselves often when you're raised in a chantry.'  
'Chantry?' I asked in an inquiring tone. I was becoming very interested now. Finally we might be getting somewhere. 'Of whom?'  
She paused for a moment, seemingly far away in memories. When she spoke, it was in a soft, absent tone: 'Auriel.'  
My mind raced. Auriel... A chantry. Things were still unclear to me. 'I'm afraid I'm not familiar with him. Or her. Or the chantry. Forgive me.' I smiled again and she looked up, the warm grin still upon her lips. Her cheeks bore the faintest flush of pink from the Sujamma.  
'The guiding paragon of enlightenment and wisdom to the Falmer.'  
My brow furrowed and I stared at her, my confusion evident upon my face as I spoke slowly. 'I wasn't aware that the Falmer paid tribute to any god.'  
'The Falmer...' She paused. 'Snow Elves.' My eyes widened as I looked at her, and suddenly I understood her countenance, what she was saying.  
'You're a Snow Elf?'  
She nodded gently, her smile fading a little. Her huge eyes scanned my face for a reaction, then dropped down to her drink, an almost indiscernible sigh escaping her slightly parted lips.  
I was momentarily lost for words. I knew the simplest parts of the tragic history of the snow elves; of their defeat at the hands of the Nords, of how they were driven underground and forced into slavery by the Dwemer, and of the horrific devolvement of their race. What had caught me off guard more than this knowledge was the fact that I had assumed that the snow elves as they had been before their fall were extinct. Although her race and her typical physical traits could not be more obvious to me now that I had been enlightened, I did not even consider it an option when I had been trying to discern her origin before.  
She somehow seemed more lovely to me now; more fragile in some indiscernible way. I needed to remind myself that I knew that she was at the very least an assassin, and most likely a multitude of other things I had yet to discover.

I must have drifted away into deep thought; when I returned, I looked up to find her big almond eyes fixed upon my face, the light from the fire swirling in them like liquid.  
'You're a long way from home, dear sera.' I smiled at her again, in as casually as I could, as I leaned over and picked up another bottle of alcohol from the satchel next to my feet. I uncorked it and raised it slightly to her as she threw her head back and downed the last of the bottle she had been drinking. 'The less of these things we need to carry around with us from here in, the better.' She paused for a moment, watching me, and then suddenly sprung to her feet, wobbling slightly and grinning as she did so, heading straight for the heavy bag of things her steward had fetched for her before our departure.  
'Here,' she said brightly, dragging it over to me and then plopping herself down right beside me so that our knees were touching. 'I know you don't want to use it, but I really want to show you some of this stuff.'  
I think I made an audible gasp as she came into contact with me; She had caught me off guard. Her entire personality had seemingly changed in an instant, as though she had relieved herself of a burden by revealing a part of her self to me.

Or it was possible that she was just drunk.

Her pale hand rested on my knee as she drew a heavy cuirass from her bag, Black and shiny as obsidian. Ebony, for certain, but with the most incredible detailing, and fine linked mail interwoven into it.  
'Oh, my,' I said in an exaggerated fashion. 'You certainly have my full attention now.' I raised my eyebrow at her flirtatiously and gave her a sly smile, her hand still resting on my knee.

She flashed me a mischievious smirk.

This was going to be an interesting evening. 


	6. Chapter 7: Tired

CHAPTER 7

My head swam pleasantly as I pulled the ebony mail free from the bag and laid it on the ground in front of Teldryn, a supid smile plastered on my face as I gave him a proud glance.  
'Now that is most impressive.' He leaned forward and took a corner of the mail between his thumb and forefinger, rubbing it slowly. 'I suppose I would be out of line if I asked you where you got it.' I saw the smallest frown cross his face as he felt the vibrations of the enchantments that it bore.  
'I relieved it from its previous owner,' I said. 'He didn't need it any more.'  
Teldryn turned his head and scoffed, giving me a sarcastic smile as he did so. 'Then clearly it wasn't enough to protect him from marauding snow elves.'  
'Oh, I had permission; Boethiah wouldn't have allowed me such a thing otherwise. I almost had to take it.'  
At that, he shot me a surprised glance. 'Boethiah?' His red eyes quickly flicked up and down my body. 'Boethiah gave you this?'  
I took another drink as he stared at me in mild surprise. 'I'm assuming you don't have a generous merchant friend back in Skyrim named Boethiah.'  
'It belonged to her champion. He was no longer fulfilling his role to his master's satisfaction, so... I performed her a service.' I grinned roguishly. 'As you can see, it isn't designed for my... anatomy. I've been dying to see it in action again.'  
I fixed my eyes upon him and smiled at his expression as it changed from one of surprise to one of disbelieving sarcasm.  
'Naturally,' he said dryly. 'And that sword of yours? I've been curious about that one.'  
'Meridia.' I wobbled a little as I sat on the ground next to him. 'Meridia gave me that for cleansing the filth from her temple. Dawnbreaker.'  
'Mmmhmm.' He folded his arms. 'And I suppose Molag Bal gave you the armour?'  
'Oh, no,' I said, My eyes widening as I shook my head. 'I hope to never meet Molag Bal...' my voice trailed off as a memory of Serana passed through my mind. 'This was a gift from Nocturnal.'  
'Of course it was.' His low monotone echoed through me, reminding me of his proximity to myself.  
'And what did you get from Sithis?'  
I glanced at him, and then back down to my drink. The moments passed slowly as I registered his reference to the writ of execution he had found on the Morag Tong assassin.  
'I haven't had the pleasure.'  
The silence was awkward; his gaze was penetrating me uncomfortably as he waited for me to elaborate.  
After I declined to do so, he gently pushed the conversation further. 'I suppose he only speaks to the Night Mother.' A brief pause as he observed me. 'She is still under the guardianship of the Dark Brotherhood, no?'  
I drank from the jar slowly, staring into the fire as our knees touched. 'Yes,' I murmured quietly. 'I thought you said that you weren't going to ask any questions about that.'  
He gave a soft smile, his eyes glowing fiercely in the light of the fire. He leaned a little closer to me as he spoke, and my eyes were again drawn to his lips.  
The mournful loneliness I had become so familiar with over the years suddenly began to ache within me as I stared at him; I hadn't felt this yearning since I had first seen Gelebor at the Great Chantry of Auriel all those years ago. Something about his Mer appearance stirred a longing that I had only rarely felt.  
Damn sujamma.  
'Forgive me, sera,' he purred as his eyes slowly settled upon my own lips. 'I don't mean to offend.' He turned and reached behind him for his bottle. 'But if I am to take your word, I have found myself in the employ of a member of a near-extinct race who also happens to be a Dark Brotherhood assassin and a servant of the Daedra.' He raised his eyebrows a little as he looked me in the eye, the tips of his mohawk moving ever so slightly in the night breeze. 'While my regular patrons are not usually as interesting... Or appealing to the eye,' He said smoothly, 'they are also not usually as potentially dangerous.' He raised the bottle to his lips. 'And coupled with the multitude of other surprises which I'm certain are in store for me, It's wise to partake in a little risk assessment.'

I stared into the fire catatonically, my head swimming from the alcohol, the feeling of loneliness and melancholy washing over me. My mind was so far away from me at this moment; all of the things I had seen, all of the things that were expected of me, all of the things I had done. Awful, evil things.

'I have been out here for a long time.'

The words emerged from my lips in a whisper. I felt lost, detached; mortal and fragile. 'You are right to be wary of me.'  
I was feeling the alcohol.  
I turned and looked up at his face. It was emotionless. My last comment had put his guard up; I wanted to bring it back down again.  
'I'm as fallible and fragile as you are. I'm a million things to a million scared, dependent people, but I'm just mortal... I'm a tool, a weapon to be used for a purpose.' He frowned down at me. 'That is what it means to be Dovahkiin.'  
If he recognised the word, he gave no indication of it; He turned his head toward the fire and squinted into it, his voice a smooth, low rumble. 'There is no dishonour in that.' I think he was trying to comfort me.

I rested my head against his shoulder and felt him tense very slightly as his head quickly turned to look down at me; Although his mild surprise was evident, he did not move.

'Pleasing to the eye, eh?' I smirked.

'Don't get too cocky,' he grinned to himself. 'You'll need to pay extra for anything beyond that.'

I smiled gently before inching closer to him, resting more of my weight against his body, my half-lidded eyes gazing into the flames.

'Lie down,' I said quietly. 'I'm tired.'


	7. Chapter 8: The Omen

CHAPTER 8

Dark. Everything around me was blackness.

The faint smell of smoke and sulfur flooded my senses, and I became aware that my face was buried in the coolness of her long black hair; her quiet but laboured breath blew hot against the crook of my neck and her bare white skin glowed in the darkness that surrounded us. A low resonating rumble and hiss echoed in the darkness ahead, and the haunting glow of a blue flame in the distance faded into my vision.  
A faint voice rang out in the distance; its pitch was low and brutal; not a man or mer.  
"Dovahkiin."  
Great shadows moved in the distance. Huge shadows.  
I felt Nysteris' lips on my ear as her small hands ran smoothly down the skin of my back and a gentle, pleading moan escaped from her mouth. I felt her breasts pressed against my chest, and I realised that I was naked; her legs were wrapped gently around my waist and I was on my knees, my arms bracing her to hold her up. Time moved as slowly as sand; I became suddenly aware of her heat and wetness, and I realised that I was inside of her.  
My left right hand moved up underneath her hair to the back of her neck and held it firmly; my left hand slid down to the lowest part of her back and pressed down as I thrust deeply into her and she let out a small cry.  
""Dovahkiin." The unnatural voice became stronger. The blue flame brightened, illuminating the blurred shapes in the distance; long horns and spines, the hiss of beast breath.  
A dragon.  
Nysteris' hips pulled away from me slightly, and I pulled her close to me again, driving myself deep into her core and grazing her neck with my teeth as I exhaled loudly; she cried out and dug her nails into my skin as she arched her back, curving her hips toward me until I was as deep within her as her body would allow.  
I was intoxicated, fervent; I gently laid her down upon the cold stone ground and her huge green eyes stared up at me, burning with lust as she moved her hands up to my shoulders. I was almost delirious as I withdrew from her wetness and then plunged back into her again, her eyes rolling back in her head and pleading moans emanating from her as I worked her body, her release beginning to build, my own endurance rapidly weakening as I grit my teeth and felt her muscles begin to clamp down around my hard member.  
As she began to shout, a deafening roar shattered the echoing silence as the dragon screamed and reared up, spreading its torn wings, blue fire erupting from its mouth as its body began to dissolve into flame. A thundering boom rang out as searing ribbons of light burst free of the dragon's chest, its ribs bare and glowing with fire, the ribbons splitting and reforming, rushing into the body of Nysteris as she lay prone beneath me.  
I looked down in horror as her eyes became hollow holes within her face, blood streaming from them, her mouth wide open as the strips of light stabbed into her body, setting her ablaze with a searing golden light as the incinerated bones of the dragon crumbled behind her and the blue flame encompassed everything around us.  
"DOVAHKIIN!"

'Get up.' I felt a kick in my ribs. My eyes snapped open abruptly and I gasped, clumsily sitting up as fast as I could.  
Nysteris was standing over me in full armour and cowl, the bright pinholes where her eyes were hidden pointed intensely at my face. I squinted at her, disoriented and confused.

'I've been waiting for you to wake up for hours.' She uncorked a small red bottle and handed it to me formally.  
'This'll fix the hangover.'  
I took it from her and quickly looked down to find that I was still in full armour; that dream. It was...  
'I was keeping watch for most of the night while you were in the grips of a drunken coma.' I ruffled my Mohawk roughly with my left hand and downed the potion with the other, blessedly grateful that my still present rigidity was well hidden beneath chitin armour, however uncomfortable it was.

I looked around and saw that she had packed everything ready for us to leave. The heavy bag was dropped at the foot of my bedroll.

'There are reavers nearby,' she said in a curt and formal tone. 'We can't linger here.' She cocked her head in the direction we were headed last night and began moving. 'Come on. The temple can't be far away now.'

Still dazed and confused, I picked up the bag and jogged after her.  
But that word was echoing in my head:  
'Dovahkiin.' 


	8. Chapter 9: Looters

I crouched behind a rocky outcrop as I watched Teldryn sneak quickly over to the nearest thicket of trees, dagger in hand. Between us was an encampment; A dying fire, two poorly constructed tents, and a large chest.  
By the fire, a weathered looking Dunmer man in bonemold armour lay on a bedroll, sleeping with his mouth open and surrounded by empty bottles. A Dunmer woman with a semi-shaved head sat on a tree stump next to one of the tents, muttering to herself and scraping the jelly from an ash hopper thorax. Their weapons had been left carelessly out of reach; there was no bow or quiver on the woman bandit's back.  
Teldryn had reached his designated spot just behind the first tent. I watched as he intently surveyed the camp from his crouched position, and then raised his hand slightly toward me to let me know he was prepared. His eyes bore into the reaver cleaning the ash hopper as he waited, tensed and ready.

I exhaled as I raised the bow and drew the arrow back in a controlled and fluid movement. The woman was unaware and focused on her task; she was stationary. This should not be difficult. I was in my element; from the right angle, I could break her neck. None of the hassles of a frantic casualty raising the alarm and alerting the other victims.

It didn't take long to find the right spot. Time slowed for a moment as I released and the elven arrow seared through the air, and I watched with a slight thrill as it struck its target, violently spearing the woman's neck as her red eyes widened in surprise and she toppled over. The ash hopper parts fell to the ground as she briefly coughed and choked, and then fell silent.

The instant she hit the ground, Teldryn sprang into action, moving swiftly toward the sleeping man with his dagger drawn. The reaver stirred; Teldryn quickly bore over him and shoved his knee onto the dunmer's back, forcing him face down onto his bed roll. He snarled and his eyes widened as Teldryn wrenched his head upward from under his chin with his left forearm, his knee still pressing hard into his back, pinning him down. Teldryn gripped his dagger and gritted his teeth.  
I watched feverishly from behind the rock with bated breath, the blood rushing to my face and a perverse sadism flaring in my chest as Teldryn reached around underneath the man's neck with his right hand, gripping the hilt of the dagger hard as the tip of it made first contact with the reaver's exposed skin.

I exhaled and shuddered with contentment as I watched Teldryn's dagger slide across the man's throat, opening it up like a pig's belly, blood gushing forth from the lengthening gash as panicked gurgles uttered forth from his severed chords. As soon as the cut had finished its line from ear to ear, Teldryn roughly shoved the reaver's face back down onto the bedroll, digging his knee into the dying man's back as he stood up.  
He looked down at the growing pool of blood for a moment before lifting his head to stare at me, his helmet making his expression seem serious and unreadable.  
'I think that went well.' His rasping voice was a deep, sarcastic monotone, and he slowly folded his arms as I sprinted down to stand before him. I wore a lecherous grin beneath my hood and did my best to hide my rapid breathing.  
'There aren't any more?' I tried to make my voice as neutral as possible, but my words bore a slight tone of disappointment and whining that I'd hoped to conceal.  
'No, I'm quite sure there aren't.' He paused for a moment. 'Was that what you were hoping for?'  
I scoffed and bumped him lightly with my shoulder as I went to retrieve my arrow from the dead woman's neck. 'Of course not,' I said bluntly, but I felt as though he'd somehow detected a hint of my bloodlust. I pushed aside my nervousness as I firmly planted my boot onto the woman's ribcage and pulled out the arrow, inspecting the tip. I frowned and cast it aside when I saw that it was bent.  
'You're quite the marksman. I had been expecting to take down both of these fetchers after you'd alerted them with your missed shot.' I could hear the half-smile in his voice. 'How did you become such a huntress? Hircine, I suppose?'  
'Practice.' I ignored his teasing. 'Probably the same way you became so good at slitting throats.'  
At this he laughed aloud, throwing his head back slightly, his arms still folded across his broad chest. 'Oh, Sera! You wound me.' He sauntered toward me as I crouched in front of the chest, inspecting the lock. I could almost feel the wide grin plastered on his face beneath his helmet. 'If only you didn't need to hire such a brute for such services.'  
His boots came to rest close to my back as he stood behind me, his proximity throwing my concentration. 'Help me with this, would you?' I slid a lockpick into the keyhole as I absently held out my bow for him to carry.  
'Wait,' he said suddenly, taking a step backward. I sprung up from my crouched position in front of the chest and dropped the lockpick as I snatched the bow from a slightly startled Teldryn, reaching over my shoulder for an arrow and ducking at the same time. 'What is it? Where?'

'Relax, Nysteris,' he said in a slightly firm tone, sheathing his bloody dagger. 'A courier.'

A courier?

I frowned and relaxed as I stood up, watching the figure in the not too far distance jogging up the ash hill toward us. A young Dunmer, Satchel at his side, wearing typical Dunmer attire. Teldryn stepped protectively in front of me as he approached, his frame blocking my view.  
'Let's hope he's not delivering another Honourable Writ of Execution,' he mumbled as he pierced the little dunmer with his stare.  
The boy was out of breath by the time he reached us; If he'd known how close he'd come to stumbling upon either a bandit camp or an execution in progress, he might be in a different state.  
'Your business?' Teldryn's tone was low and guarded.  
'A delivery,' the boy panted, 'For Miss Nysteris.'  
I stepped forward, gently pushing Teldryn aside. 'From whom?'  
'A mister... U... Urag gro... Shub?' he looked confused. 'I am sorry, miss. I only recieved the parcel from another courier at the Bulwark.' He diverted his gaze. 'I think it was dispatched some months ago. But... but you're very hard to locate, miss.' He reached into his satchel and produced a parcel. 'this is for you.'  
I took it from him warily. From Urag? It had been over a year since we'd spoken. 'You're dismissed,' I said absently to the courier as I began to unwrap the package. He took his leave quickly.  
The note:

Nysteris,

I know you didn't ask for a translation of the tome, but as the one who located it I thought it would be proper. Maybe you can keep it at home. Its scarcity should make it an interesting conversation piece.

Also, I'm still waiting for those tomes you promised to bring. Books like that don't fetch themselves. I'm getting impatient. I don't want them degrading in a damp cave somewhere.

In regards to your query before you left: I may know of somebody who could assist you. There is a mage whom has newly taken residence in Morthal who can reputedly cure the condition you speak of. Whether he's a fraud or not is hard to say. You'll need to find out for yourself.

I would ask that you try to refrain from visiting the college until your problem has been addressed. We have to keep security and safety as our highest priority. After the preservation of our great library, of course.

Urag

I ran my hand over the newly bound book and opened the cover, reading the first page:

The Diary Of Faire Agarwen.

For a moment I was crippled with the pain of memories from so long ago; memories I'd tried to forget; Urag had clearly forgotten why I had given the original book away in the first place; I had told him I wanted to be rid of it. The ache in my heart radiated throughout my body, and all of my collective weakness seemed to bubble to the surface.

It was Teldryn's hand on my shoulder which brought me back to this realm.

I slammed the book shut and thrust it at him as I turned away.  
'We're going to Skyrim.' 


	9. Chapter 10: Revelations

'As much as you can fit into that crate.' I nodded toward the wooden box that was sitting on the foor next to the bar.  
Geldis smiled knowingly. 'You're lucky that you're a friend of mine. Normally I'd be more worried about depriving my other customers.' He bent down to pick up the crate. 'I'm guessing you're not going to drink all of this by yourself.'  
'She's a fan of your handiwork,' I said with a smirk. 'She'll be missing it once we get to Skyrim if I don't get it while I can.'  
'To Skyrim?' Geldis raised an eyebrow. 'I thought you were done with all that.'  
'As did I,' I mumbled. He pushed a mug of liquid in front of me before turning away to fetch the multiple bottles of sujamma I'd asked for. 'I think you can get another layer of jugs in that crate, Geldis.' I grinned broadly.  
'Drink your Shein.' He placed four jars into the crate before leaning over the bar to talk again.  
'Say, if you happen to see Revyn while you're out there...'  
'Gah! No. Not Windhelm again.' I drained the mug of shein in one long draught and wiped my mouth. 'It'll be bad enough getting off at the docks. Wretched place.'  
Geldis thankfully dropped the subject. I knew he was eager to see how his brother was doing in the Gray Quarter, but my time in that place was over. I had no intention of ever visiting it again.  
'You know,' He said after an extended pause, 'One might wonder what you're up to, travelling alone with a lady and with that much drink in tow.'  
I smirked. 'It's the only way I can get her to talk.' I stood up from the bar stool. 'I can assure you my intentions toward my employer are nothing but noble.'  
'Yes... 'talk',' He said slowly, placing the last of the sujamma into the crate, shaking his head slightly as he did so. 'Well, best not keep her waiting in that room any longer then.'  
'Indeed,' I said dryly. 'She's getting very hot in there. Taking off all that armour, too.'  
Geldis simply stared at me.  
I leaned forward and whispered loudly to him. 'The room is too warm. She doesn't like the fireplace. From the... Colder parts, you see.'  
'Aaaaah.' A wide smile spread across his weathered face as I took the crate of sujamma. He chuckled. 'By Azura, I don't know what I was thinking.' Sarcasm suited him well.

I pushed the door to her room with my shoulder, carrying the heavy crate. 'I hope you're decent,' I said, deliberately not waiting for an answer as I strode into her room, proudly wielding the sujamma. 'I've found something to help us pass the time.'  
She was sitting at the small wooden table, arranging the coin and gems we had found in the reaver's chest earlier into two piles. Her back was facing me, and she didn't look up; her long, straight black hair was tied into a loose tail low on the back of her neck and fell down her back like a glossy black plume. Her long pointed ears protruded garishly from the sides of her head as she focused on her sorting.  
The glaringly white skin of her bare arms reflected the light of the fire nearby and the fabric of her long, dark blue sleeveless tunic made soft ruffling sounds as she reached down to the sack next to her to get another handful of coin.  
'I hope it's not chess.' Her voice was much calmer now than it had been earlier.  
I noticed a large empty potion bottle on the ground next to her bare feet. Like the ones I'd seen with her before.  
'Nothing as cerebral as that, I'm afraid,' I said brightly as I put the crate on the floor next to the table, sliding into the chair opposite her. 'The only thinking you'll need to do is to decide whether you'd like to get muddle-headed now, or save it for the boring trip on The Northern Maiden tomorrow.' I raised an eybow and grinned, lifting a bottle of sujamma up within her field of view and wiggling it around a little. She stopped counting coin and rested her elbows on the table, her big cat eyes scanning the bottle and then my face as she considered the proposal. 'You really want to be stuck on a boat for hours with a hangover in the morning?'  
'You had a potion to fix that last time.'  
'There was no boat last time.'  
'Has your snow elf magic stopped working since then?' I flashed her the most charming smile I could muster and gestured for the empty mug sitting next to her.  
Her face softened and a small smirk appeared on her lips as she passed me her mug. 'Well played.' I smugly poured the drink into it as she spoke. 'Although drinking during the day isn't usually a habit of mine.'  
'I'm not here to judge.'  
She laughed; a sweet sound. I was beginning to coax her out of her shell.

Over an hour had passed by; We were onto our second jar. The more she drank, the more of herself she revealed, and the more animated she became. It was a fascinating thing to watch; combined with the fact that it was also the first time that I had seen so much of her physically, it was an intoxicating experience. It was hard to believe at times that she was what she had also revealed herself to be: a very old entity and a stealth assassin. For all her unusual traits, at this moment in time, she seemed so... amiable. I could feel a touch of the predator stirring within me as the sujamma flowed.  
My intentions were not as noble as I had led Geldis to believe. While becoming intimate with her was certainly not something I would necessarily object to, my primary goal was to find answers. The drink would work far better than any honeyed words from me in that regard. How old was she? where did she come from? were there more of her kind there? What was she doing? Why did she need me with her? And that name... Dovahkiin.  
I had not forgotten that dream. 'I met Saint Jiub once,' I said matter-of-factly as I swirled my drink around in my cup. 'I was a little elf then. In Blacklight. At the time it was the most exciting thing that had ever happened to me.' I paused to take a drink. 'It's as you get older that you gain a new perspective on things. My opinion now is that he was something of a pompous s'wit.' She laughed, covering her mouth with her hand.  
'What about you? What was it like meeting Nocturnal?'  
She sighed loudly. 'Frightening.' She paused. 'It's always the way with Daedric princes.'  
'However did you find yourself in that situation? I can't imagine the trouble you must have gotten into to get that far.'  
'Nocturnal is the guardian of the thieves guild,' she said quietly. 'We fell from her... his... favour at some point and needed to get it back. It involved returning something that had been stolen.' She smirked at the irony. 'But it's all fine now.'  
'We?' I said, doing my best to appear casual. I was becoming very interested by these latest revelations. 'You're a member of the guild, then?'  
'I've been getting by on my own for a long time now.' Her eyes were cast down into her mug. 'The thieves guild offered a way for me to make coin quickly and I was able to take advantage of my natural gifts to get it.' She smiled at me. 'As you can see, I'm not well suited to epic hand-to-hand battles.'  
'You seem more than able to handle yourself with your... more covert skill set.' I poured her another drink. 'I suppose those same talents have served you well in your assassin's guild?'  
'You could see it that way.'  
'Who taught you?'  
She looked up at me and paused for the longest time; Her face seemed sorrowful, strained. She quickly broke eye contact and looked back down again.  
'I taught myself.' She grabbed the mug and downed its entire contents. I raised an eyebrow.  
'That takes alot of dedication.'  
'No... Practice.' Her voice was becoming quiet.  
Another long silence from her; the noise of the fire crackled comfortingly in the background, and I patiently waited for her to continue.  
'After the Nords destroyed us... and the Snow Prince died...' Her voice trailed off, and her eyes gazed into the fire absently. 'Only a few of us remained. It was too late for us to do anything else.' Again she drank from her mug. She would be very much incapable soon.  
'We lost eachother. One by one. We were killed, or faded away; Soon, I was the only one left. I had no choice but to face a savage world. I stumbled through it. I was young, fearful, sheltered; I wasn't ready. I never had the chance to marry, to love, to grow or lead... The world was a snake pit. It was only through repeated tragedies, failures and lessons that I learned...'  
'You're strong. Stronger than you think. You've survived all these years and you are a powerful woman now.'  
She scoffed. 'I often think about what might have happened if he hadn't caught me... How many times my natural life would have run its course.'  
It was then that my heart stopped for a moment; Though my head was swimming in alcohol, the pieces were starting to fall into place.  
If she was alive at the time of the fall of her race, she would have to be thousands of years old. And the way she spoke of 'her natural life'...

'Who caught you?'

I knew the question was too direct. I was afraid she would recoil, but my need to know what had happened to her overrode my fear; I had to know what, and who, she was.  
There was a long silence from her. She was so still that she appeared like a statue; her eyes slowly rose to meet mine.  
'A vampire.'  
A vampire. Nysteris was a vampire.  
It took every fibre of my self control to stop myself from recoiling; A vampire. I had slept next to her. Been alone with her. Oh, by Azura.  
'He knew what I was before I did,' she continued quietly. 'He knew I was Dovahkiin... he said I was not needed yet, and that I must be preserved for a time when there were no more Dovahkiin left, a time when the World Eater would return... To swallow everything.'  
The World Eater... I Knew of that legend. I swallowed hard, still reeling from the revelation she had made to me only moments earlier.  
'Dovahkiin...?'  
'...Dragonborn.' 


	10. Chapter 11: The Boat

The hold of the Northern Maiden was small and cramped. Water sloshed around our feet; loud creaks echoed around us as the ship groaned with each dip in the waves. Everything stank of brine and borderline decay.  
It was still better than sitting above deck in the sun.  
I sat on a crate, hunched over with my arms crossed and my hands shoved into my armpits. A juvenile mudcrab skittered past my foot as I sighed into my mask.

'Relax, Teldryn. If I'd intended to kill you, you'd be dead already. And I wouldn't have bothered to pay you.'

He just stared at me, his expression coldly neutral. His blood-red Dunmer eyes burned into me, his lips frozen into a serious frown.

The silence passed awkwardly. I squirmed on my crate, wishing he'd start staring at something other than me. 'Why are you still here, then?' I snapped at him. 'You voluntarily left the service of a patron once because he wouldn't wash. Surely I've failed your 'Risk Assessment' by now.'  
He didn't flinch.  
'You haven't dismissed me from your service.' His stare continued to bore into me, as if he were fully prepared to spring into violent action at a moment's notice if I even leaned too close to him. 'I will continue to accompany you for as long as you continue to pay as well as you do,' he said in a deep, low monotone, 'and for as long as you keep your teeth out of my neck.'  
I scoffed, reaching into my bag to get the potion of blood. 'Ha. Don't flatter yourself.' I uncorked it and raised it to my lips, pulling down the cowl of my hood with my free hand. 'You all taste like ash, anyway.'  
His eyes widened a little, then squinted; the faintest grin appeared at the corner of his tattooed lips. 'Everything on Solstheim does, N'wah.'

I glared at him, the neck of the bottle still stuck in my mouth. I recognised the insult, but I decided to let it go.

'We didn't solve your Miraak problem.'  
'There are more important matters to deal with now.' I tossed the empty bottle onto the wooden boards. Teldryn frowned.  
'You're going to deal with those matters on top of the continued assassination attempts?'  
'There are always continued assassination attempts. Miraak is just one of the competitors.'  
'Which is where I come in, I assume.' He folded his arms and his eyes quickly flicked up and down my body. 'May I ask who the others are?'

I took a deep breath and looked down. If he was going to quit, then now would be the time.

'Cultists. Dawnguard. City guards. Hired thugs. Other vampires. Dragons.'  
'Dragons?' He almost spat out the words. His head turned away in disbelief and he ran a hand through his black mohawk. 'This is getting ridiculous.' He kicked the little mudcrab away that was crawling over his boot.  
'I can deal with them,' I immediately interjected, my voice low and firm. 'Mostly.' I paused for a moment as he glared at me.  
'I have no strength against fire,' I continued quietly. 'I am a creature borne of ice and snow.'  
'I see,' He said dryly. 'Being a vampire only makes it worse.'  
'I can imagine.' There was that look of repulsion again. I sighed loudly.  
'I didn't choose this,' I said, surprised to hear the almost pleading tone in my own voice. He merely sat there, arms folded, watching me.

'I wasn't going to bring you to Skyrim,' I said. 'But I see now that you have skills that I haven't been able to find in other mercenaries.'  
'You mean the willingness to stay in the patronage of a dragon slaying vampire?'  
'Stop it,' I spat angrily. I glared at him, waiting to see if he had any more sarcasm for me. He merely raised his eyebrows.  
'You Dark Elves have a good resistance to fire.'  
'I prefer Dunmer.'  
'Are you finished?' I was losing patience.  
'Maybe.'  
I sighed as I continued. 'You seem adept in both swordsmanship and magic use. You won't run off when your magicka runs out or go charging into battle irresponsibly and get yourself killed.'  
'Yes.'  
'You don't seem to be stupid. Arrogant maybe, but not stupid.' I paused. A smug grin spread across his face. He was enjoying having his ego stroked.  
'If you possess any of the typical Dunmer traits, I can use that.'  
'And what do you think those are, Sera?'  
'I only know so much. Your kind are strong; sly; cunning; intelligent; tenacious; promiscuous.'  
He threw his head back and laughed aloud. 'Promiscuity is a trait in my kind that you could use, Milady?'  
My gut sank and a great rush of blood went to my cheeks as I realised what I'd said. I couldn't think of anything to say; I'd never been more grateful for the presence of my cowl. 'N... no...' I stammered.  
'Well,' he said, lecherously, his white teeth gleaming through his wide smile as he leaned forward, 'You keep telling me that the way to become skilled at something... is through practice.'  
'D... Don't.' 'You'll need to pay extra for those services though. I can assure you I'm worth every coin.'  
'I'm serious. Stop it, Teldryn.'  
'Oh, I bet your face is as red as an ash yam under that hood... How long has it been? Hundreds of years? Do you remember what it's like?'  
Three loud raps on the deck above signalled that the boat had arrived in Windhelm.  
I leaped up as if I'd been stung. 'We're here,' I blurted. 'Get the stuff.' I scurried up the ladder and out of the trapdoor to the deck as fast as my limbs would take me.  
I could still hear him laughing as I emerged into the glare of daylight. My eyes stung and ached; My veins tingled and burned.  
'Anything else you need, Nysteris?' His voice was taunting and dripped with sin.  
'Ugh.' I shook my head in disgust. His face broke into another wide smile as he cocked an eyebrow.  
'We're going to Lakeview Manor. In Falkreath. It's where I live.' I squinted at the ice covered docks of Windhelm. The cold air soothed my blushing cheeks.  
Teldryn shouldered the heavy pack and followed me as I hopped from the ship onto the stone wharf. 'You're taking me home already?'  
I ignored him. 'Marcurio is expecting us. I sent word via courier while we were at The Netch.'  
'Ah. Is he your little steward whom I met in your room before?'  
'He's an apprentice wizard. I expect you to be polite and respectful.'  
'But he's still your steward.' He followed a few steps behind me. 'I hope he knows how to cook.'  
'He won't be making you ash yam stew or grilled hopper legs.'  
'You're really quite racist, you know.'  
I turned to face him. His smile was still there.  
'We're taking a wagon. Travelling by foot is too dangerous and would take forever.'  
'Then lead on.' he paused. 'On a more serious note,' he said matter-of-factly, 'Why are we going there?'  
'I think I've found someone who can cure me.'  
'Of...'  
'You know what.'  
He looked surprised. 'I didn't think that was possible.'  
'Neither did I.' I paused again. 'I need to get some things before we go to see him. The man who might be able to cure me.'  
'Is this the best time to be doing that?'  
I turned to look at him in astonishment. He'd recoiled from me like I was a monster earlier, and now he was questioning whether I should cure myself?  
'I'm assuming your condition grants you certain... advantages in stealth and combat?'  
I understood what he was trying to say. His point was valid.  
'Look,' I said flatly, stopping in my tracks and turning to face him. 'I've been this way for longer than I care to admit. It's never been something I wanted.' He frowned at me. 'It's an affliction,' I said quietly. 'Soon, I'm going to be undertaking something I've been waiting to do for centuries...' I trailed off as he eyed me warily. 'I'll be going to destroy Alduin. The World Eater.'  
Once again, he stared at me in disbelieving silence.  
'I think I'll be better off without bearing this affliction when that time comes.'  
I could see his mind working as he scanned my masked face. It seemed as though the gravity of the situation was finally beginning to become real for him; he nodded. 'You'll still be Dragonborn, after all.' He smiled faintly.  
'Yes.' I almost whispered the words as a sea of uncomfortable emotions swirled within me.  
I pulled myself out of it and turned quickly on my heel. 'Hurry up, Sero,' I said firmly. 'I hope you brought the sujamma.' 


	11. Chapter 12: Whisper

The coachman of the wagon wouldn't take us any further; It was dark, and he needed to water and rest his horses. Nysteris had told him to drop us off here.  
I had no idea where we were. I knew it was somewhere betweem Windhelm and Falkreath. A thick blanket of snow covered everything in sight; though the night was still, the biting cold penetrated me to the bone.  
I'd built a rough tent, a yurt, from long sticks and some animal skins I'd kept in my pack. Another skin laid on the snowy ground to keep the bedrolls from becoming soaked. The fire nearby was throwing a small amount of heat, but it wasn't catching on well. I'd occasionally poke it with a long stick or bathe it with a flame spell in between bites of bread. My chitin armour was laying next to the fire; The cloth of it was drenched from the melted snow. I shivered slightly as I sat there wearing only the linen wraps that were worn beneath the armour to prevent chafing; My chest and shoulders were completely exposed to the cold air.

Nysteris had been away from the camp for some time. She'd told me that she was going down to the nearby river; I could vaguely make out her stark white figure down by the banks, wearing only her undergarments and stamping on a sheet of ice covering the water, cracking it to create a hole. Though I strained to see her through the darkness, by the time my eyes had adjusted to the dim light, she had immersed herself up to her neck in the ice cold water.  
I stared in bewilderment as I watched her eyes close and she sighed, relaxing her head against the edge of the ice sheet.  
Such a thing would be almost suicidal for a Dunmer. Or for most men or mer. I shook my head and stared back into the flames.  
As I reached into my bag to find a bearskin to wrap around my shoulders, my fingers touched the smooth edge of a book. It took a moment for me to remember what it was; The book Nysteris had carelessly thrust toward me after she'd recieved the courier's letter in Solstheim. The one that had brought a tear to her eye.  
I quickly checked to see if she was still relaxing in her ice slurry by the river before furtively pulling it from the bag and opening the first page:

Diary Of Faire Agarwen Translated from original Falmer text by Urag Gro-Shub

I knew I probably didn't have enough time to read the entire book before she returned. My eyes skimmed over the page:

We have been shown a kindness by this family once known to the Snow Prince. Even in death his great influence has ensured our safety. We were separated from many of our kin along the road when it became increasingly difficult to travel discreetly in our numbers. We were forced to go our separate ways and travel only at night. I have heard no news of where the others may have gone and fear I never shall. Our lives are forever changed.

Further down:

At night I find it difficult not to focus on times past. There are moments in my rest when I still hear the laughter of the Young Ones at play in the valley. Other times I see the pale flicker of happy moments which were once so common in the land of the Snow Elves. I try not to dwell on these memories too long. Often our surroundings make it impossible to dwell on any happiness.

I frowned as I skimmed further and kept reading.

We know that we can never again be the Snow Elves and live freely in this world. We will be forever hiding in one form or another. But there is no reason we...

I Quickly looked up to see Nysteris walking through the snow, holding her armour in one hand and dressed in her undergarments. Tiny chunks of ice littered her long wet hair. She looked startling; Beautifully abnormal.

I stared for a moment too long before slamming the book shut and stuffing it underneath the animal skins.

The sight of so much of her bare skin, wet, glistening and white as the snow around it, was unhelpfully alluring. I turned my eyes back to the fire and bit off a chunk of bread.  
She tossed the armour carelessly onto the snow next to mine and went over to the sujamma crate to pick up a bottle. Her hips swayed slowly as she walked; The dip in the ice water had relaxed her in the same way that a hot bath would for a more regular person.  
'That's just not right.' I shook my head slowly at her as she walked toward me with the bottle. She just smiled at me as she uncorked the bottle with a loud pop.  
To my alarm, she continued to walk toward me with the bottle until she was standing in front of me in her small clothes; then, without a word, she sat down and wriggled her way underneath the bearskin I was wearing over my shoulders, still dripping with frigid water and fragments of ice.  
'Gah!' I yelped as her frigid skin touched my own. The cold was so intense that it felt like a burn. 'Damn it, woman!'  
She laughed loudly, throwing her head back. For the first time, I saw the vicious little pointed teeth that revealed her true nature; They gleamed like small ivory daggers in her mouth.  
'You're cruel.' I made an exaggerated scowl as she grinned at me and necked the bottle.  
though the cold was biting, the air was still and sweet; I took the bottle from her and drank from it as I watched the torch bugs drift slowly in the air next to the river bank.  
'Are you still scared?' She asked me quietly.  
'Scared?' I turned to look at her. 'I was never scared of you. Only wary.' I picked up the long stick and used it to stoke the fire again. It was becoming harder to try to ignore the fact that we were both wearing very little.  
She seemed quite happy with that; her huge eyes were half-lidded as she gave a small smile and passed her gaze over my bare chest. 'Good,' I heard her almost whisper.  
'What is it like?' I asked her. 'Being dragonborn.'  
She paused for a moment. 'I don't know what to tell you. Lonely, I suppose.' She stared into the fire. 'I've always been like this. It would be the same as me asking you what it's like to be Dunmer.'  
'But we Dunmer normally don't take out dragons with our voices.' I grinned. 'That is something that I would dearly love to see.'  
'You'll get your chance.' She smiled faintly.  
She looked me up and down, a look of thought on her face. It was then that she took my hand in her own and spoke in the gentlest voice, catching me off guard with her physical touch:  
'Come here. I want to show you something.'  
She shifted closer to me and the hand that was holding mine began to glow with a dim golden light; I watched her in cautious wonder, the little pieces of ice beginning to melt and trickle down between her breasts as she looked out at the river, and whispered the words:  
'Laas. Yah. Nir.'  
The words were quiet, but seemed so loud; They echoed and resonated within my chest.

I stared in open-mouthed wonder as swirling red mists suddenly bloomed into being all around us; Every torch bug, every fish in the river, the owls in the trees; Even Nysteris and I ourselves. Every living creature for as far as I could see was bathed in a soft light. In moments, the night had seemed to come alive. I was lost for words; The little spots of glowing light moved softly in the night air as the insects danced, and a streak rushed through the trees as a fox ran past us.

'Azura...' I whispered, entirely captivated. 'What did you do?'  
'It's the dragon voice.' She spoke quietly. 'We can see their life force.'  
I sat there for what seemed like an eternity, completely entranced. Nysteris sat patiently next to me, holding my hand; Her entire body and my own were awash with crimson glow.  
Soon, she gently let go of me and stood up; The beauty suddenly vanished as our hands parted, and the night became dark again. I blinked and continued to stare out at it.  
As I turned to speak to her, I saw that she was removing her wet clothes; She slipped the linen garment over her head, her small, firm breasts exposed to the cold night air.  
I knew that it would be proper for me to turn away; but I decided to push my luck, and continued to watch her. A sudden heat stirred within me.  
'What are you doing?' I almost whispered.  
'Going to bed.' She hooked her fingers into the sides of her underwear, but hesitated to pull them down. 'So should you.'  
'We only have one bed roll.' The other one was wet. I could feel a stirring between my legs. 'And I am sorry, Nysteris, but if you expect me to share it with you while you're... like that... And to remain untouched...'  
She looked me in the eye and interjected softly.

'... I don't.' 


End file.
